Sharing the Apostolate in Our Parish
by Meg Maas, ARK
Recently I was asked to give a talk at my parish on the theme of ‘Holy Habits: Living A Holy Life.’ After some initial thoughts of fear and uncertainty, I began to consider everything I have learned in the Apostolate. From Our Lord’s words in the writings and messages to Anne’s talks and programs like The Backpack, I realized that many of these ‘Holy Habits’ were already part of the daily lives of ARK all over the world. Encouraged by this truth, I pulled from the vast treasure of human and spiritual formation we have received and put together a list of seven habits that included: Offering Your Day, Spending Time With Our Lord, Taking Care Of Your Health, Allowing For Some Quiet Space In Your Day, Staying In The Moment, Being Thoughtful About Social Media, and Keeping In Mind The Holiness Walk Is Unique To Every Person.
During the talk, I shared each of these habits by offering details, specifics and practical suggestions that could help make the habit part of a person’s daily life. Sprinkling in humor and anecdotes throughout the talk seemed to be very helpful as well. It has to be said that all of the formation I offered was simply the culmination of what I’ve learned over the years as an ARK. I shared this reality with the group and invited them to help themselves to the Apostolate’s materials that were available on a large table at the back of the room. Several of the participants gathered newsletters, Volumes, daily Allegiance Prayer cards, and Thoughtful Men and Women of God booklets. Likewise, people commented on how they found the teachings so positive and inspiring.
One woman shared that she had attended a previous talk where I had spoken about the daily Allegiance Prayer and how it can change our lives. She said, “After that talk, I placed the daily Allegiance Prayer card in my car and began to pray it every day. It really has changed my life!” The writings of the Apostolate continue to impact the life of our parish in seemingly small but significant ways. During the month of September, we highlighted An Invitation booklet in our display case and found ourselves refilling the case multiple times. Our parish book club is reading Climbing the Mountain and we’re hoping to offer Paradise of Gratitude as the Christmas gift from the pastor to everyone in the parish. Recently a lovely new ARK joined our prayer group and, during the month of November, we are looking forward to highlighting Heaven Speaks To Those Who Fear Purgatory and Heaven Speaks to Those Who Fear Death booklets in the parish display case. If all goes well, we’re also hoping to offer another in-person session of The Backpack in the fall of 2026.
We are so grateful for these ongoing opportunities to share the Apostolate with others in our parish and beyond. Knowing we’re part of such an incredible team of ARK from all over the world is also encouraging and sustaining. Is there another parish talk sometime in the future? I’m not sure… But I am sure Our Lord will use all of our efforts to bring peace and hope to so many people needing healing and direction during this time.
